Forsaken Empire
by Chelstar
Summary: Post-Buu fic. Our favorite prince has at long last discovered the true value of family, but when the past comes back to claim him, will he forsake his wife and children to take his rightful place as king? There's only one way to find out!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! I know I'm supposed to be updating A Saiyan's Sacrifice right now, but inspiration struck so I rolled with it. Hope you like this preview to a new fic I'll be working on! Don't forget to review. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of its original characters. Bummer.**

* * *

"Entering: Orion Arm

Galaxy: Milky Way

Data: Minimal

Destination: Sol System

Star Title: Sun"

Thick lashes fluttered, untangling to reveal hazy obsidian eyes. A second voice rasped through the space pod, caked with sleep. "Initiate planet data sequence."

"Intiating…

…

…

Orbiting planets:

Mercury – Terrestrial – 0 Moons

Venus – Terrestrial – 0 Moons

Earth – Terrestrial – 0 Moons

Mars – Terrestrial – 2 Moons

Ceres – Dwarf – 0 Moons

Jupiter – Gas Giant – 63 Moons

Saturn – Gas Giant – 61 Moons

Uranus – Ice Giant – 32 Moons

Neptune – Ice Giant – 18 Moons

Pluto – Dwarf – 3 Moons

Eris – Dwarf – 1 Moon

…

…

…

Awaiting further instruction."

A single hand, sheathed in a white glove, rose to the pink tinted device hooked over the occupant's right ear. A series of glyphs flashed across the square, transparent screen, nimble fingers scrolling through various options. The voice rasped again, stronger this time. "Initiate life scan sequence. Race: humanoid. Target: Earth."

"Scanning…

…

…

…

"Planet: Earth. Humanoids detected."

"Population?"

…

…

…

"Approximately 7 billion."

Black eyes blew wide, dry lips parting in awe.

* * *

"Would you like to make this planet your destination?"

Gloved fingers drummed idly against a well-toned thigh. "Call Brussel. Third party, Apriko."

Static filled the pod, soon broken by a deep, gravelly voice.

"Are we there yet?"

"Of course not! Look around you, fool! Apriko, wake up before I override your system and send you crashing into the nearest star."

A masculine groan could be heard then, followed by a series of cracks and pops. "What do you want _now_ Caulifa?"

The smug tone of voice greatly contrasted her perturbed expression. "I was right. Kakarot failed to complete his mission."

She tolerated their grumbles of skepticism, twirling a lock of black hair through her fingers as she held off for dramatic effect. "Oh, you don't believe me?"

"Can we stop wasting time and search for our liege on a planet that, _oh I don't know_, still exists?" Apriko snarled.

"You're out of your damn mind." Brussel muttered.

Caulifa smirked, keeping her voice level to conceal her anxiety. "Tell that to the 7 billion people living there."

Absolute silence fell for about thirty seconds, and then both men started in at once.

"But how could they have survived-"

"Did they find a way to kill him?"

"But then who killed Freiza?"

"I told you already, it must have been the prince-"

"If he's even ALIVE. From the rumors I've heard-"

"ENOUGH!" Caulifa yelled, abruptly silencing her comrades. "Freiza was a liar and a snake. Prince Vegeta is alive." Glittering eyes lost their focus, oblivious to the universe rushing past around her. "He has to be."

"Well then, how do you explain this?"

Caulifa shook her head, banishing the fog of the past to focus on the here and now. "There's no moon."

"Huh?"

"Did I stutter? There's no moon, idiots!"

There was a brief pause, and then Brussel broke the silence. "Uhhhh…. Why would an infant be sent to destroy a planet with no moon? How would he transform?"

Caulifa pinched the bridge of her nose, willing herself to be patient. "Because there WAS a moon, but now there isn't. I think someone destroyed it."

"Who?"

That made her snap. "HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW!"

"JEEZE Caulifa, relax…"

"DON'T YOU TELL ME TO RELAX-"

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF PRIDE YOU TWO, SHUT UP!" Apriko hollered.

Silence fell once more. They all took a collective breath, and when Caulifa spoke again, it was calm and to the point. "Let's settle this once and for all. Pod?"

"Awaiting instruction."

"Reset coordinates. Destination, Earth."

Brussel and Apriko echoed her orders. Without further ado, the three Saiyan warriors blasted off into the endless cosmos… and the mysterious future awaiting them.

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**Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to update, I wasn't sure how exactly I wanted to get the ball rolling on earth. I decided that for this chapter, it would be best to introduce the Briefs family as they are, so we can get a feel for the timeline. As I said this is post Buu, around the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament. Trunks and Goten are teenagers now, and Bra is four. My timeline might not be perfectly accurate, the ages are approximate as is the amount of time Vegeta has lived on earth, so you'll have to excuse any errors or miscalculations on my part. It's more about the story and less about all that anyways, right? Right! The three saiyan's will arrive on earth next chapter, now that we've established the family dynamic at Capsule Corp. If you like this story, please review. I don't want to be one of those people begging for reviews, but I'm letting you know now that if you want updates, that's how to get them. I've lost my inspiration to write A Saiyan's Sacrifice because my last chapter got hardly any feedback. What's the point in writing if no one's reading, right? Anywaaaaaays.**

Disclaimer: Dragon Ball Z is not my own, and neither are the characters. This is purely fan fiction.

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"Good morning handsome!"

A grunt of acknowledgement sounded behind the black and white expanse of a newspaper. Only the telltale protrusion of gravity-defying hair betrayed the identity of Bulma's husband, who was seemingly engrossed in what he deemed to be 'trivial human affairs'. Bulma poured herself a coffee, humming as steam rolled up to warm her smiling face.

"Do you know what today is?" She asked pleasantly, resting the small of her back against the lip of the counter. The newspaper crinkled as the saiyan's grip tightened on its flimsy pages. She could picture the gears working in his mind as he tried to recall both the date and whatever occasion might be associated with it.

"Should I?" Came his nonchalant reply. Bulma abandoned her position by the sink, rounding the table to confront Vegeta head on. "Yes, you should!" She chided, manicured fingers wrapping the curve of her hips. "Do you keep track of anything outside of your training schedule?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." He groused, folding the paper to rest on the dining room table. "Starting a bit early this month isn't it?"

Bulma smacked the back of her hand against his bicep. "Is that any way to speak to your beautiful wife?"

Dark eyes appraised her, giving nothing away as they took note of the black pencil skirt riding high on her waist, pinning the lower half of her azure blouse in place. A rope of pearls brushed her collarbones, slightly lighter than the shade of her throat. They were an heirloom that the heiress seldom wore outside of family occasions.

Vegeta changed the subject, folding his muscular arms across his chest. A smirk tugged his firm lips up at the edges. "If you continue to pester me I just might trade you in for a different model."

His tone was smug, and she followed the path of his gaze to the colored picture glaring up from the gossip column. Her long time ex-boyfriend Yamcha stared back, sitting next to a woman that looked an awful lot like – "Marron!?" She exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise.

Renowned Ball Player Shacking Up with Capsule Corp VP?

The article went on to say that Taitans' star player Yamcha had been spotted with his ex girlfriend's look alike at the World Series, having 'traded in for a younger model'. The heiress grit her teeth, spilling her coffee as she slammed it down next to the offensive rag. "Younger model my ass!" She hollered. "They've got to be kidding, that bimbo looks nothing like me!"

"I thought you'd be amused." He said, his wicked grin broadening. "The weakling's gone and settled for Baldy's leftovers!" Vegeta threw his head back and laughed. "First he loses the most attractive female on the planet to the man who murdered him, and then he copulates with some counter-fit trash that the world's weakest warrior mated before he did!"

The woman had informed him of Marron's existence after discovering that the toaster and the bald one had named their offspring after her, unbeknownst to the android-turned-housewife.

"She's probably only with him for his money." Bulma fumed. "Whoa, wait a minute. Did the Prince of all Saiyan's just give me a compliment?" She wryly accused. "It's about time. I am the richest, smartest, most beautiful –"

"Shut up." Vegeta muttered, causing Bulma to laugh and lean into him. He swiveled slightly in his stool, parting his knees to accommodate her and dutifully wrapping an arm around her waist.

"As I was saying…" Bulma took a sip of her coffee, relishing in the warmth of the beverage and that of the man beside her. "Today is a very important day."

"Well? Spit it out!" Vegeta snapped, not in the mood for the woman's ridiculous guessing games.

"Okay, jeeze! It's the 15th anniversary of your arrival on earth. The second coming, that is." She winked, glad to omit Vegeta's first attempt on Goku's life. She was convinced that he'd become a new man after his death on Namek, and found it prudent to ignore any and all events preceding his first rebirth.

The saiyan rolled his eyes in open exasperation, removing his arm from her waist. "You earthlings have an anniversary for everything. Next you'll be celebrating the first time I took a sh-"

"Vegeta! It's the day I invited you to live here! I know I was still with Yamcha back then, but… it's sort of where it all began. YOU might not care, but it matters to me." The plea in her voice had him growling deep in his chest, knowing full well that she wouldn't let up until he consented to whatever she had planned for the day. _If she uses this as an excuse to throw one more stupid party…_

"Don't worry, I'm not throwing a party or anything." She nudged him gently with her elbow and grinned, taking another sip of her coffee. The saiyan wondered, not for the first time, whether or not she had some sort of mind reading technology hidden beneath that blue hair of hers. "I do, however, have a surprise for you."

Vegeta leaned away from her with a reproachful glare.

"Oh, lighten up you jerk! You'll love it, I promise."

* * *

The heiress had found her way into Vegeta's lap and was on the verge of stealing a celebratory kiss when her eldest child burst into the kitchen.

"MOM! Tell Bra to get out of my room, Goten and I are trying to study and she keeps coloring in my notebooks."

The moment was effectively shattered.

Bulma rose from her perch on the saiyan's thigh, her hands finding her hips once again. "She's just a little girl Trunks, let her spend time with you. It's not like you can't afford new books."

"But she's annoying." He argued, raking a hand through his purple, shoulder length hair. "She doesn't listen and she's completely obsessed with Goten. She keeps drawing crappy pictures of them holding hands with hearts and-"

A gust of wind blew Bulma's hair back. She watched bewildered as Trunks fell backwards, landing on his butt with a disgruntled look on his face. The seat beside her was now vacant, her surly husband nowhere to be seen. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" She fumed, throwing her hands up in the air. Her heels clacked against the floor as she marched across the tile, past her teenage son who had just then regained his feet. "Good luck having Goten over again any time soon. Dammit Trunks, you should know better than to say that in front of your father!"

Bulma called Vegeta's name from the lower level, knowing he could hear her under regular circumstances, but at that particular moment his voice drowned out her own.

Bra had scurried to her father the moment he entered her brother's room, clinging to his leg like a monkey as he advanced on Goten. Various textbooks were scattered across the floor, as well as notebooks littered with the drawings Trunks spoke of, yet he couldn't help but notice the lack of drawing utensils aside from his daughter's crayons. His attention snapped back to Goten, who was compulsively glancing between Vegeta and the space beneath the bed.

"What are you hiding under there?" The saiyan prince demanded, clenching his fists at his sides.

"N-n-nothing sir, I don't know what you m-m-"

"Don't play me for a fool, boy. Give it to me. Now."

He could sense the ki of his son behind him, and turned to catch the boy vehemently shaking his head at his partner in crime. Growling dangerously, Vegeta untangled his five year old from his leg and crouched down, snatching for whatever it was that had Kakarot's whelp trembling in fear.

His hand finally latched onto something, and as he yanked it into the light, both boys yelled "IT'S NOT MINE!" and fled.

There, in his grasp, was a magazine with a woman on the cover, draped over a hover car with nothing but a baseball cap and a pair of high heels on. A quick rifle through the magazine showed more of the same vulgar trash.

"Daddy, what are those?" Bra said, ducking under his arm to peer at the open page. The magazine erupted in a burst of bright light, crumbled to ash in her father's hands, and fluttered to the floor. Vegeta stormed out and down the stairs, leaving a confused Bra standing in the hall.

"TRUUUUUUNKS!" Vegeta roared.

She covered her little ears with her hands and braced herself as the floor shook beneath her feet. As her parents hollered back and forth, she picked up her newest drawing and ran off down the hall, her ponytail bouncing as she tore around the corner into her bedroom and shut the door behind her.

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON VEGETA!?" Bulma raced to keep up with the irate saiyan as he stalked for the open front door.

"I AM GOING TO MURDER THOSE ROTTEN LITTLE BASTAR-"

"HEY, THAT'S MY SON YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Bulma jumped on his back, constricting her limbs around him before he could combust in a fit of super saiyan fury.

"NO SON OF MINE WOULD BE SO PERVERSE-"

"STOP RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME DENDE I WILL GIVE YOUR GRAVITY CHAMBER TO GOKU AND LEAVE YOU WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A SINGLE BOT TO TRAIN WITH!"

That brought him up short. "You wouldn't dare." He seethed, roiling with tension. Confident that she had him now, Bulma hopped down from his back and smoothed her ruffled ensemble. Both adults were breathing heavily, regarding each other with bright eyes and flushed faces.

"Now." Bulma took a deep breath, lowering her voice substantially. "Tell me what happened."

"YOUR SON-" Vegeta thrust an accusatory finger at his wife. "-WAS HIDING FILTHY HUMAN ILLUSTRATIONS UNDER HIS BED!"

Bulma could only stare blankly at her husband. "Dirty… magazines? That's all?"

Vegeta's eye twitched in time with the vein that visibly throbbed in his temple. "What-… You…. I…."

The heiress pressed a palm to her face, shaking her head as she tried not to laugh. "They're teenagers. It's perfectly normal."

"IN FRONT OF BRA!?" He yelled, outraged.

Bulma tapped her foot on the floor, quickly losing patience with his outbursts. "You heard Trunks, she wouldn't keep out of his room and Dende forbid he ever forcibly removes her if you're within a hundred mile radius. She's a demi-saiyan Vegeta. A little discipline won't hurt the girl."

"She's four years old!" He growled, fingers twitching at his sides.

"Exactly. She has no idea what they were looking at. I agree with you that the situation was not appropriate and I will speak to Trunks myself, but I absolutely forbid you from hurting those boys! You can't beat them to within an inch of their lives just because they're saiyan."

"The hell I can't." Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest, cutting his wife a condescending glare.

"Just let it go. Please? Just this once? If you do…" Bulma smiled coyly, folding her arms below her breasts. "We can do that thing you've been wanting to try, if you know what I'm saiyan."

The prince flushed, glancing away from the deviant gleam in his wife's too-blue eyes. "Vulgar woman…" He mumbled. Embarrassed or not, the tension had been diffused for the moment.

"I'll even look the other way if you make a trip to kame house. The boys flew there to visit last week; chances are they got the porn from Roshi."

Vegeta filed that information away for his own convenience, planning a trip to the island the next time his gravity chamber crapped out.

"Come on, let's go. I refuse to let this day be ruined. You still haven't seen your surprise!" Bulma caught one of his strong, callused hands in both of hers, tugging him towards the door she'd been hell bent on keeping him from a few minutes ago. Reluctantly, he let the woman drag him outside.

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**Tada! I hadn't meant for this chapter to be so funny, but once again my immaturity got the better of me. This story is going to have an overall serious tone, though it seems impossible for me to omit comic relief here and there. Hopefully it doesn't take away from the overall plot. Thanks for reading guys, please review if you want more chapters. xx - Chelstar**


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